Summary
Millions of Americans may lose or see changes to their health care coverage if Congress does not extend the expanded Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits by the end of January. The expansion was originally put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic to help more people access health insurance. There is disagreement within Congress about whether to extend these credits, with Democrats mostly in favor and Republicans split on the issue.
Key Facts
- ACA tax credits that helped more people get insurance were expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- These credits are set to expire at the end of January unless Congress acts to extend them.
- More than 24 million people have health care coverage through the ACA marketplace.
- About 22 million people could see higher premium costs if the credits are not extended.
- Some Republicans have introduced their own bill but are not planning to hold a vote on amending it to extend the ACA credits.
- Democrats have introduced proposals to extend the credits for one to three years, with some bipartisan support.
- KFF and Gallup polls show significant support for extending the credits among ACA Market participants and highlight concerns about the health care system overall.
